Subject:Remedy
Entries
Entry 1048
It was a nachur'l doll. They seem to think it was. And they had this doll baby fixed. And she went away to her mother's home and when she came back, de doll baby was in her door when she opened de door and she wouldn't put her hand on de doll. And they had this doll fixed for her and she took de doll and swept de doll in de fiah. And aftah she'd swept de doll in de fiah, three weeks aftah that, she got burned up. She burned de doll up. And they had de doll fixed so if she burned de doll up, then three weeks aftah that she caught afire and she burned up. [For an amazing example of victim fixed to burn to death, see story under margin-title Doctor Harris.]
(What should she have done with the doll?)
They said she ought to throw him away or get someone, you see, that understand that [kind of work] to take it up from there, and she don't have nuthin to do with it - jis' have it tooken away, jis' like they does now, anything that they take [and put down] and have anything [like that] taken away. [For doll baby, see following story, also No. 197, p.54, and Index.]
Entry 1049
Well, I kin make a little baby - accordin' who got a sickness, got any kind of disease, and how many times I have it. (You what?) I make a little doll baby, purtty it with all kinds of ribbons, you know, and I can - if I got any. kind of disease, just how many times I had it - and I make a knot in there so many times. If I had it three or four times, I makes [three or] four knots in that piece of ribbon and I tie that baby and I go and I drop it. The one that picks it up is the one that gets that - it be's off of me, I won't have it no more.
(I see. Well now, first you do something else. You have a disease, you say?)
If I had it, yes.
(Then what do you do?)
Wind the disease on the doll.
(You take the piece of ribbon?)
Take the piece of ribbon - get me - make a purtty little doll - make it like a saint - nobody will notice it cause it's purtty, and I get this pink ribbon and I tie it in a knot just how many times I had the disease, you see.
(Every time you had it. You tie a knot for each time you had the disease?)
Yes. Uh-huh. Tie them and put it on that doll - it go off me. Go off and leave it drop - it don't look like you drop it, just let it down in the street on the sidewalk anywhere.
(I see.)
And one person will pick it up. When they pick it up, well they gets that - it off on you then, no more for you.
Entry 1050
A man, just goin' around selling diff'rent medicines and things like that, and he'd work on these people where they just believed those things. He say mostly de trouble with those people - you ketch de majority of 'em now, he didn't say all - say in de majority you ketch 'em and they need a cleaning out. He say, "What I'd do, '' say, "I'll buy two or three pounds of Epsom salts." [Laxative or alcohol is the principal ingredient of many hoodoo medicines - see Index.]
Entry 1051
Yo' use a dime to keep anybody from poisonin' yo'. Yo' take dat dime an' a new file - yo' take a new file an' ten cents an' file it into a glass. Den yo' put into that about two good mouthfuls of sweet milk an yo' drink it down. Dat cures fo' seven yeahs - dat nobody can't hurt chew fo' seven yeahs. Yo' kin step ovah anything yo' wanta, eaten anythin' yo' wanta, an' dat silver will turn it. Dat ah've proven out dat, cause ah had a uncle dat had eaten somepin. [Could this remedy derive from the belief that, "The entire composition of the body changes every seven years?" FACI, 1st ed., No. 2855, p.139; 2ed., No. 3534, p.159.]
Entry 1052
[This story could have gone under margin-title Whipping, p.388, but I found it too late to include in the closed text. Besides, the hitting here is a little different from the whipping there - the doctor does the knocking.] She married a man - some root vorkah maked 'em [or make dem] marry. An' aftah dey married, de woman had been [become sick], take pain in 'uh side an' dey had to care 'uh to a root vorkah. An' when she valked in dis root vorkah say, "Ah don't put 'em togethah" - you know, put 'em togethah an' make 'em marry. An' when de woman valk in de room he say - he look in de woman eye an' ast 'uh why did she marry dis man. She say, "I mare 'im cus it vus love." He say, "No, it vusn't no love; it vus a hand put on yah to make yah mare dis man." An' de woman had a pain in 'uh side. She couldn't, you know, half valk. [Word woman is also heard as 'uman.] An' he tell all to go out de room. Jis' de woman an' dis root doctah vus in de room. An' aftah dat he make de woman stand up. De woman couldn't har'ly valk when she vent [to the doctor]. An' he vent out in anothah room an' came back wit medicine, an' he po'd some up in de top huh haid. An' he knock 'uh t'ree time on 'uh haid wit 'is fis' an' evah time he knock huh he jis' shut 'is eyes lak dat an'jis' blow. An' aftah doin' lak dat he tell 'uh to straighten up. An' de woman straighten up. An' when she straighten up jis' lak dat, he knock 'uh t'ree time in de back - fust [time] he knock 'uh in de haid. An' aftah dat he tell de woman, he say, "Now, yo' valk. Don't valk scared," he sayes, "yo' jis' pick up yo' feet - joo kin valk." An' de woman could valk good jis' lak she vusn't sick. An' he tell 'uh to valk on out in de po'ch [porch] an' come back. [She did.] An' he tells 'uh to lay down. He had a long chair in de room an' he tell 'uh to lay down in de chair. An' she, you know, laid down in de chair. An' he tell de woman to get up an' go on [home] but not in barefoot - she vus [had been] verkin' aroun' in barefoot. [This medical advice was to protect her against sprinkled or buried cunjuration, not against hookworm.] An' he tell 'uh, he says dat vus dis husban'. He say uh husban' had consult a root vorkah fer to put 'em togethah, jis' cus dey [cunjures] had powah 'nuff to put 'em togethah. Dat vus a woman cunjure [who put them together]. An' de woman vent back home bettah an' nevah did been sick no more wit pains in 'uh side. [Long chair is the only time I heard this expression. Since the informant surely knew the words couch and sofa, I am guessing the long chair was some type of deck chair - perhaps a Morris chair which has a bar and slots so that the back of the chair can be lowered or raised.]
Entry 3809
(Well, how do you get rid of that?)
How could yo' git rid of dat? Well, yo' git one of dem turnips, dem green turnips.
(Get a green turnip - green, turnip green.)
Yes, sir. An' take one of dem green turnips an' yo' squeeze it - yo' squeeze it. An' yo' take some of dis same snail dust lak dat, an' yo' mix it up an' yo' rub it, jes' tryin' to get juice out of de turnip lak dat wit dat snail dust. Yo' take dat an' yo' bathe yoreself wit it, jes' be- fo' yo' go to fool wit 'er. Yo' bathe yore- self wit it unbeknowst to her. An' when yo fool wit 'er, prob'ly she may want to put yoreself in 'erself. Yo' say, "No." Pretend. Make out yo're playing wit 'er an' fool aroun' wit 'er. An' when yo' get dat stuff, yo' try to get some hair. When yo' get dat hair, yo' take it an' rub it wit dat turnip. She have to turn yo' loose, de way it burnin' 'er, yo' undahstan'.
(You get a piece of her hair?)
Yeah, yo' get dat hair an' yo' mix it up wit dis turnip an' dis snail dust, an' den yo' rub it, jes' lak yo' rubbin', an' yo' jes' put it down In some pep- pah. It burns 'er all de time. Den she wants to know from yo', she say, "I'm got a burnin' down here all de time." Jes' lak dat. Den she say lak dis here, "Huh, yo' know what's it all about? Yo' got a idea whut's it all about?" An' yo' say, "Well, de last time yo' had yore panties on." She say, "Well, I ain't had my panties on since dis time." Yo' say, "Well, I feel a cord roun' yo'." Yo' say, "Prob'ly dat's by yo' wearin' dis here cord." Yo' undahstan'?. [This last to the author.] Yo' say, "Whyn't yo' [why don't you] cut dat off?" She say, "Oh, no, dat don't make dat. Dat's jes' to keep my back from hurtin'." [Somewhere I have given a rite in which a dime with 9 knots is worn about ankle for love under the pretence of a cramp cure.] Yo' say, "Oh, here, I'm going to cut it." Yo' take yore [pocket] knife an' have a [blade] dere an' befo' she say, "No, don't cut it." Well, yo' make a [reach] fer 'er an' yo' cut it. Jes' cut yo' loose right from dere.
[While recording machine turned off, informant explains how he was tied.]
Yo' take a person's length [with a string].
(You mean that's to tie? You call it keeping them tied?)
Yes. When yo' got 'em tied, meanin' dat yo' can't fool [with other women].
Entry 3814
Wal, dere wuz a gurl ah started correspondin' wit in a - an' she wuz a purtty nice gurl an' we got along purtty tuhgethah [at first]. Well, ah dunno, we jes' couldn't git 'long tuhgethah an' she - ah guess she felt dat she wuz losin' me, see. So, well she used to cook fo' me. Well ah would eat from 'er an' ah would eat from othahs. It didn't make much diff'rence. Ah nevah did pay much 'tenshun tuh how she cooked anything fo' me cuz ah didn't [think] she'd try tuh poison me or do anythin' tuh me. So she fixed me up some meals one day, an' it wuz 'long about de 20th - 'bout 'tween de 29th an' de lst - fixed mah meals fo' me. An' right aftah ah eat dat meal ah got sort of sick. Well ah came out it an' den - well, while ah wuz goin' roun' wit anothah frien' of mine, ah met anothah girl. An' well, she wanted me tuh come an' live wit 'er. So ah would go an' spend nights wit 'er. An' well, ah'd sleep in de same bed. An' it seemed dat evah time dat ah'd wanted tuh have intahco'se wit 'er, it seemed jis' lak ah couldn't git mah mine [mind]. Mah mine jis' seem to fall, jis' couldn't git mah mine set on havin' intahco'se wit 'er. So ah went to a doctor [M.D.] heah an' ast 'im whut could be de mattah. An' he said dere wasn't anythin' de mattah wit me - took a blood test an' all, an' say he couldn't fin' anythin' wrong wit me. So a frien', he heard about dese thin's [women do], so he ast me whut all had she been doin', an' ast me could ah have intahco'se wit 'er. Ah tole 'im suah [sure], anytime ah'd go home an' git in bed ah could easily have intahco'se wit 'er, but othahwise any strange woman ah couldn't. So he wuz astin' me had ah noticed any funny thin's about 'er. Ah tole 'im ah nevah notice anythin' funny about 'er. So he ast me what kin'a food had she been feedin' me. So ah tole him diff'ren' meals. Well one special food she wuz feedin' at least twice a week an' dat be tomatoes. So ah tole him about dat. So he ast me did ah notice anythin' funny 'bout de 'matoes de nex' time she fixed 'em. So ah paid 'tention when she wuz fixin' 'em, but ah nevah noticed anythin'. But ah noticed she strained de tomatoes. Ah didn't pay any 'tention at it becuz ah figured she knows whut she's doin'. So ah tole him about 'er strainin' de tomatoes. So he say, whut kin'a rag did she strain it through. Tole me ah shoulda paid 'tention. So he tole me tuh go ovah heah an' ast 'is brothah 'bout it. So ah ast 'is brothah an' tole his bro- thah what happened. So his brothah ast me de nex' time roun' about de firs' of de mon' tuh pay close 'tention tuh see whut she would do. So it went on lak dat fer about six mont's an' ah wus goin' - still goin' ovah heah tuh see dis othah [second] gurl, an' ah wus livin' on wit 'er. She wus try- in' tuh do evahthin' [about my impotence] she could fo' me. So ah went on an' paid 'tention closah tuh 'er [first girl], an' one day ah caught 'er in dere an' she wus strainin' de 'matoes through some of 'er undah- weah. So ah ast 'er whut wuz de cuz of dat. She said, nuthin, she jis' couldn't fine 'nothah rag tuh strain de tomatoes in lak dat dat wuz clean. Wal, ah seen stains in de undahweah, but ah didn't pay any 'tention tuh it. Ah figured de tomatoes put de stains in dere. So ah tole mah frien' about it an' he said, well, she's been usin' 'er reg'lah rag dat she had on, when 'er reg'lah mont'ly sickness come on, strainin' de tomatoes through it, an' dat's whut wus cuzin' [causing] me tuh feel lak ah did tuhwards 'er an' couldn't do anythin' tuh any othah woman. So he tole me to go see a fellah, a fellah used to be a herb doctor. He's daid now. He died a few years ago. Tole me to go ast 'im whut ah should do. So ah'd seen 'im an' he tole me tuh take - tole me tuh try git holt of a good- size jar of 'er urinate an' take dat, an' boil it an' put plenty a salt in it, an' drink it at least twict a day. So it happen ah got holt of some. One night when she wusn't payin' attention tuh me, she got up an' urinated in a basin [she] had dere, yo' know. So de nex' mawnin' she went outside [away from home] tuh go tuh de baker's [to work?]. So ah'd taken it an' ah boiled it, an' ah boiled it an' strained it lak he tole me. Fixed it jis' lak he tole me tuh fix it, put some salt, an' ah drank it twict a day. An' purtty soon ah begin tuh feel mah- self ag'in. So ah left 'er, an' den ah went tuh stay wit dis othah woman. An' ah stayed wit dis othah woman one night.... [Remainder of this [[cylinder]] cannot be transcribed because of defective reception.[[comment by transcriber]].] See, we [informant and second girl] had been usin' de same towel all de time. So ah didn't pay any 'tention tuh it an' well, de nex' mawnin' when she got through wit dat towel, she took it an' folded it up careful an' put it away in de drawah dat ah'd used. Well ah didn't pay any 'tention tuh it cuz ah wus young an' didn't figure a woman would try any kin'a tricks on a fellah. So ah looked to be gittin' sorta po' [poor] an' skinny. An' ah used tuh go roun' tuh dis othah gurl [first one] an' we wuz lak we wuz goin' go back tuhgethah ag'in.
(The first girl or the second girl, you mean?)
De firs' gurl. So de secon' gurl she kep' on arguin' wit me an' arguin'. We fight an' fuss, back an' fo't' [forth] all de time. So ah went on - kep' on bothahin' dis secon' gurl. So one night ah went ovah an' stayed all night wit 'er, but still an' yet, when ah went to do somepin wit 'er, ah'd have dat strong feelin' until ah'd git right in bed wit 'er, an' den when ah git in bed wit 'er, seemed lak all hopes would drop an' ah jis' couldn't do anythin'. Ah'd Jis' lose mah nerve all de way roun'. So ah'd kep' on goin' lak dat an' she tole mah frien', mah close frien', dat she wuz livin' at 'is mothah. [Informant's first girl was rooming with the mother of the male friend who advised him to see a herb doctor.] She tole him about it. So he ast me [at the place where both worked - see later] whut wuz happ'nin' tuh me. Ah looked to be gittin' lak ah wanted to die [or] sompin. So ah tole him ah didn't know. Ah jis' seem to be gittin po'ah [poorer] an' po'ah an' mah healt' jis' wouldn't seem tuh build up atall. Ah'd eat de right thin's an' all. So he ast me wuz ah eatin' from home. An' ah tole 'im no, ah didn't eat from home cuz ah nevah had time, as mah wife, she didn't fix anythin' fo' me. So he ast me wuz dis othah gurl an' me on bad terms. Ah tole him yeah. Well, we wuz, 'cuz ah wuz about tuh quit 'er. (This was the second girl you were about to quit. The first one was your wife?) Yes, de firs' one wuz mah wife. So - an' ah wuz about tuh go back tuh mah wife, see. Aftah a while he ast me did ah know some man to cure me by. Ah tole him no. So one day he wuz up tuh de house an' we wuz jis' aftah takin' a showah. It wuz real hot [shower or day?], so ah gave him some towels. Ah didn't pay much 'tention tuh it, a towel wit a hem in it, an' ah happened tuh han' 'im a towel dat she had took dat night. An' he noticed dat right outa de centah, a hole wuz cut outa it. An' so he ast me how did dat happen. Ah tole him ah didn't know. So he begin tuh think. He's experienced on it 'cuz he wuz lots oldah dan ah wuz an' dat's one thin' [tricks of women] dat he always believe. Ah called 'im smart. Ah figured he wuz tryin' tuh be smart. Well, anyhow he really did know a lot of thin's. So he tole me de nex' time dat ah noticed, whethah she wuz un- dressin' or not, tuh notice whethah she had anythin' tied aroun' 'er neck or vais' or laig or anythin', an' if she did, tuh come an' tell 'im. Well, ah stayed wit 'er dat night, ah wouldn't stay out dat night. Ah stayed wit 'er dat night an' ah noticed dat when she got in bed, she had a little black bag tied right down in de centah of 'er stomach. So ah ast 'er what it wuz. An' she said dat [was] to keep 'er from havin' pains in 'er stomach. So ah tole mah frien' de nex' day when ah went tuh work. An' he tole me, he sayed dat he believe dat [in the] bag she had wuz a piece of dat towel out [without] de bag. [He now explains this confusion.] Said a woman could take a piece of towel dat a man would wipe on, an' could take it an' put some kinda black-cat-bone dust [see BLACk CAT POWDER, p.526], from a young black cat wit dat piece of towel in a sack, an' hang it in front of 'er an' de man nevah could leave her, no mattah where he go he'd always have tuh come back tuh 'er, an' dat he nevah could have anythin' tuh do t no othah woman but 'er. So ah jis' laughed at 'im. An' ah thought he wuz jokin'. An' ah went on tuh dis othah girl de nex' night an' went tuh 'er house. Well, ah wuz feelin' good an' ah felt lak ah wanted tuh have intahco'se wit 'er. An' so we got in bed all undressed. Well ah had high hopes until de minute ah got in bed wit 'er an' den evahthin' flopped. An' ah laid in bed fer half de night an' still an' yet ah couldn't git up nerve enough tuh have anythin' tuh do wit 'er. So ah tole him about it de next day. So he tole me tuh go back an' see could ah have anythin' tahdo wit mah wife. So ah went back dat day at dinnah time [noon]. Mah wife got off dat day at dinnah time an' I went ovah dere. An' she wuz home in bed, so ah got sweet wit 'er an' got in bed along wit 'er. Well, when ah went tuh have intahco'se wit 'er she took dis here bag from aroun' 'er wais'. Well ah got in bed an' ah jis' had high hopes an' ah jis' carried thin's right on through. Well, ah come back an' tole 'im about it, an' he tole me dat dat whole thin' wuz de trouble. Said where she had dat bag aroun' 'er wais' an' said fer me to git dat. So his bro- thah wuz de same way [impotent by trickery], but 'is brothah didn't believe in dis othah one. Some of 'em don't like dat [drinking the woman's urine]. [A bad spot in the cylinder follows. The next bracket contains my pencil notes made while checking original cylinder against transcription.] [Bad recording from here. [[Substance of informant's words follows.l] So ah went home. Ah ast 'er whut wuz dat bag. She said it was none of my business. So [[ah tried to take it.]]. Well she got mad an' said if I take it she'd kill me...didn't pay any 'tention tuh 'er...aftah awhile I was goin' wit anothah woman.] [To take a woman's hand, called a nation sack in the New Orleans area up to Memphis, can be a dangerous venture - see p.1449f.] So dat night ah come home jis' lak ah goin' stay dere. An' she got undressed, ah grabbed 'er an' got de string an' ah snatched it. When ah snatched it ah took an' run into de kitchen wit [it] an' put it in de stove an' burn it up. De min- ute ah did dat, it seem lak she jis' seemed to have lak a reg'lah fit. She jis' started runnin' all ovah, got real... [Here is a typical reaction - other than outright death - to the destruction of a witch's power. Yes, this woman is technically a witch, she having caught the man's spirit. There are many ways given in HOODOO to break a witch's spell; See also FACI, 2nd ed., Pp.790-920; and for burning the object she uses, Pp.882- 886. DE DOCTORS COME AN' DEY COULDN'T DO NUTHIN FO' HER. DEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WUZ DE MATTAH WIT 'ER. She continued to keep on fer about six mont's an' aftah dat she seemed gradually to come back tuh 'erself... [small remainder of recording bad].
Entry 7224
Well, ah don' know how ah got it in me. A lady brought me a piece of fish an' she claim, "Mah husban' jis' caught dis fish." An' she said, "It's al- ready salt an' peppahed." Yo' know ah always look at mah food an' ah said, "My, de grains of peppah are large." She said, "Oh, dear, dat's all right, jis' go ahaid an' eat it." So ah washed some of it off, see, an' it all stuck so close, ah couldn't git it off. So anyway, ah said, well ah'll try de fish, 'cuz ah couldn't eat nuthin but fish an' chicken. An' ah ate dis fish. An' ah had no more den finished eatin' it when ah jis' drew up in knots, cramp knots, an' ah fell tuh de floor, an' mah heart start tuh palpitatin' very fast. An' ah tole mah mothah, ah said, "Ah cain't live wit dis cramp." An' so she went aftah anothah lady, one dem HOODOO LADIEs. She called 'er. An' she tole mah mothah tuh go right away an' git me a pint [of] milk. Dat help- ed me some. An' den she fixed me some mustard watah an' - but de only thing ah knew dat cured me wuz a fresh aig [probably from a black hen].
Entry 9208
Ah had a job workin' an' ah lose de job. No, ah didn't lose de job. De man jes' say he didn't have nuthin tuh do. All right, lattah ah went tuh a lady [doctor] an' she say - peoples talkin' about [her] say she wus good. All right, she tells me, say, "Ah'll git yuh job back, [you] git fired offa." Git fired off [of job] on Sunday night. She says, "Ah'm goin' tell yo' whut tuh do. Yo' take dis heah rotten aig an' yo' go tuh dis heah place where yo' wus workin' at.' Say, "Yo' take it an' chunk it up ovah de do' an' cuss." Yo' undahstand. See, yo'd cuss an' yo'd walk off. An' she says, "Don't look back." An' she say, "In two or three days yo'll git de job back." An' ah done dat. She gimme dat aig. Ah give her de money. Ah done dat. AH NEVAH GOT DAT JOB BACK AG'IN.
(You never got the job back?)
No, ah nevah got dat one back.
Entry 11287
You go kill a deer.
(A deer?)
Oh, yeah! Kill a deer. It's a very tame animal. You kill a female deer, save the blood and save the fat out of the side for a salve. I get that. You know the female, what they call in the east you know, is a lamb and the buck's a man. Get that fat and fry it out. That fat, I don't mind giving that fat for that. That will bring it. That will fix him so that he kin have some woman about once or twice a month. That other thing, [whatever it Was], I could not give. It's too deadly.
Entry 11855
Well, yo' see now, it's anothah story. A lady an' her husban', yo' know, dey were gittin' 'long all right. So she saw somebody else she liked an' so she, yo' know, comes right to de front of it wit her husband an' dey nevah wanta agreein' in de home, so she say, "Well, ah dunno, seem lak mah mome is gittin' too upset. Ah dunno, seem lak ah dunno whut tuh do." So dis kept on workin' lak dat. So ah guess in travelin' an' talkin' roun' - prob'ly in, up an' down de streets, so dis [would spread] - 'nothah man or woman, somebody, say, "Whut? Yo' dunno whut tuh do wit chure home?" Says, "No." Say, "Don' be silly, go an' git chew some luck." Said, "It'll make yore home all right." Say, "Will ah be able to work ut? Ah don' know whut tuh do or how tuh do it." So, [she or someone] said dat dis man says, "Well, ah'll see yo' ag'in an' talk wit chew."
['"Dis man" wanted time to inquire about doctors.]
"Okay." An' so prob'ly latah dey got tuhgethah, see. Say, "Seem lak mah home is still gittin' worsah an' worsah an' 'stead a-git' tin' bettah, ah want chew tuh prove whut chew wuz talkin' tuh me 'bout." Says, "Okay." Says, "W'yn't [why not] yo' git chew a cah [car] an' go down South an' git chew some luck. Don' chew know whut tuh do tuh take ca' yo' home?" Says, "No." Says, "Well, ah've got de money if yo' kin git a cah." Says, "Well, ah kin git chew a cah all right." So he got a cah an' so dey went down South. So de ole man commence 'splainin' tuh him whut it wuz all about. So he tole 'em, says, "Well, ah tell yo' whut chew do." Says, "Yo' right easy when she go tuh bed," says, "at night," says, "cut so many strands of her hair." Says, den go down below an' cut so many down dere." An' he says, "Yo' git dat all tuhgethah an' put a lil' of 'er sickness. Ketch onto her monthly an' take a lil' of 'er sickness, an' two strands off 'er haid, two down there, an' a lil' of her sickness, yo' know. Put dem togethah an' tie it up in a lil' bag." An' said, "An' every month when she be lak dat, yo' watch closely an' yo' git a drop of her sickness an' jes' damp it wet lak dat, see, an' she be all right. She'll take care of yo'."